The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has urged traders and shop owners at the Onitsha Main Market to open for business on Tuesday, in defiance of Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo’s directive ordering the market’s closure for one week. The call followed the governor’s decision to shut the market after traders failed to comply with the state government’s instruction to disregard the Monday sit-at-home order.
Governor Soludo issued the closure order on Monday during an on-the-spot assessment of the market, accompanied by government officials and aides. He warned that the shutdown could be extended if traders continued to flout the directive, adding that security agencies had sealed the market to ensure compliance. The governor described the action as part of an ongoing effort to assert control over economic activities in the South-East.
In a statement released later on Monday, IPOB’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, criticised the state government’s action, insisting that no government entity established or funded the traders’ businesses. He further called on the Federal Government to release IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, arguing that his freedom was necessary to restore peace and normal economic activities in the South-East.